As Black women, we’re always looking for different ways to style our hair in order to change up our look. Maybe the next hairstyle you have chosen to wear is Marley twists, and you’re now looking to learn the basics about this hairstyle and how to style your hair when it’s in Marley twists.

So in this blog post, I will be providing a quick guide on Marley twists which will include which hair to use, how many packs of hair you’ll need, how to take care of your hair and also provide some Marley twists hairstyles you can choose from.  

Now let’s get to it!

What are Marley twists?

Marley twist is a type of Senegalese twists that uses kinky hair instead of kanekalon hair, making it a perfect choice for women with 4c hair. You see, the original Senegalese twist hairstyle requires that you stretch or straighten your hair so that your hairstyle can come out looking nice and smooth.

While this isn’t necessarily a bad idea, over time, as your natural coils start to shrink due to humidity or after a wash, the Senegalese twist hairstyle will start to look frizzy and you’ll need to take down it earlier than planned.

What hair is used for Marley twists?

You can use any kinky texture hair extension such as Marley hair, Cuban hair, and any other kinky hair extension you can find. If you prefer to install Marley twists with the crochet method, you can just buy the pre-looped Marley twists crochet hair packs.

READ THIS ALSO: What To Do Before Getting a Protective Style

How many packs of hair do you need for Marley twist?

Depending on the length and volume you’re going for, the number of hair packs you’ll need will vary. Please keep in mind that you might get a different look depending on the hair you choose to work with.

For example, crochet hair packs will give a more polished look, whereas, twisting your hair from scratch with Marley hair will give a bohemian look.

You should also note that Kanekalon hair is heavier than kinky hair extensions such as Marley hair. So even if your hairstyle may look big, you might not feel the weight as much if you used crochet hair packs or kinky twist hair, as opposed to Kanekalon hair such as Xpressions.

Marley Hair Packs: 5-7 packs

Cuban Twists Hair: 5-7 packs

Xpressions Hair: 4-6 packs (the more hair you use, the heavier your hairstyle will feel)

Regular Kanekalon Hair: 10-14 packs

Havana Twists Crochet: 5-7 hair packs

Marley Twists Crochet: 5-7 hair packs.

How long does Marley twist last for?

Your Marley twist hairstyle can last anywhere from 4-8 weeks, depending on how you installed it and how long you feel like wearing the hairstyle. I wouldn’t recommend going beyond ten weeks though, otherwise, you might end up with extremely dry hair and possibly breakage. 

READ THIS: Hits and Misses of Protective Styling

What’s the difference between Marley twist and Havana twist?

Although Marley twists and Havana twists are often used interchangeably, these hairstyles are actually distinct from one another. Simply put, Havana twists are about three times the size of Marley twists and they look more chunky in size than Marley twists.

READ ALSO: Havana Twists Protective Style Guide with 40 Hairstyles Ideas

Are Marley twists heavy?

Marley twists aren’t heavy, even if you use a lot of hair packs to style your hair. As a matter of fact, the lightweight nature of Marley twists and the fact that the kinky hair extensions blend so naturally into type 4 hair textures is the reason why Black women will often choose Marley twists over Senegalese twists.

Four ways to install Marley twists

1) The Invisible Method by Hair by Jla D.

2) The Rubber Band Method by TheKeyisME.

3) Individual Crochet with Rubberband on short 4c Hair by Princess Clarke.

This hairstyle is perfect for short 4c hair that might be too short for the invisible method. The pre-looped crochet hair packs also makes it so much easier and faster for a beginner to be able to do this hairstyle.

4) Cornrow Crochet Method with Individual Crotchet At the Front by Terry Vassall.

This is the fastest method and can be completed within two hours or less. You can also reuse the hair if you take good care of it while it’s installed in your hair.

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40 Marley Twists Hairstyles Ideas to Inspire Your Next Protective Style

These pictures are all sourced from Pinterest. To be credited for your personal picture, please contact me with the exact picture, and we’ll be sure to credit you. I’ve also included some affiliate links in the post, which means that I make a small commission at no additional cost to you when you make a purchase with my link.

1) Marley Twist with Cornrows at the Back

You will need one pack of Marley twists hair.

2) Burgundy Top Bun Crochet Marley Twist

You will need 6 Packs of pre-looped burgundy Marley crochet braids.

3) Half-Up Half-Down Marley Twists

You will need 3 packs of Marley hair extensions.

4) Medium Marley Twists

You will need 5 packs of Marley hair extensions.

5) Ombrè Box Marley Twists

You will need a mix of color #33 and color #4 of Marley hair extensions. You can buy 3 packs of each color.

6) Duo-tone Marley Twists

You will need a mix of color #27 and color #4 of Marley hair extensions. You can buy 3 packs of each color.

7) Classic Shoulder Length Marley Twists

To get the curly ends, all you need to do is to wrap the ends around some perm rods and dip them in hot water. Towel dry the hair and take down the perm rods.

You will need 6 packs of color #1 Marley hair.

8) Jumbo Marley Twists

You will need Kanekalon hair such as xPressions for this look. 

9) Jumbo Kinky Twists

You will need 5-6 packs of color #27 Marley hair.

10) Rubberband Marley Twists

The roots of this hairstyle were secured with rubber bands for faster twisting.

You will need 5-6 packs of color #1 Marley hair.

11) Marley Twists Invisible Method

You will need 5-6 packs of 24″ color #30 Marley hair.

12) Jumbo Bob Marley Twists

You will need 5-6 packs of 24″ color #1 and #30 Marley hair for the highlights. 

13) Hip Length Marley Twists

You will need 5-6 packs of color #1 Marley hair

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14) Marley Twists with Curly Ends

You will need 5-6 packs of color #4 Marley hair and curl the ends with perm rods. 

15) Hip Length Marley Twists

Even though this hairstyle is long, it doesn’t weigh much because the kinky twist hair that was used doesn’t put too much strain on the scalp.

You will need 4-5 packs of color #1 Marley hair.

16) Light Brown Beaded Twists

You will need 5-6 packs of color #27 Marley hair.

17) Honey Blonde Marley Twists with Wavy Ends

You will need 5-6 packs of color #27 Marley hair and curl the ends with perm rods. 

18) Waist Length Marley Twists on 4c hair

You will need 6-7 packs of color #1 Marley hair.

19) Long Jumbo Marley Twists

You will need 5-6 packs of color #1 Marley hair.

20) Average-Sized Marley Twists

You will need 5-6 packs of ombre color #4 Marley hair.

21) Short Marley Twists in a Bob

You will need 1-2 packs of color #4 Marley hair and you can cut the pack in half for this look.

22) Medium Length Ombre Marley Twists

You will need 5-6 packs of ombre color #T30 Marley hair.

23) Small Marley Twists

You will need 3-4 packs of color #1/T27 Marley hair.

24) Medium Sized Marley Twists

You will need 3-4 packs of color #1/T27 Marley hair.

25) Jumbo Marley Twists at Shoulder Length

You will need 4-6 packs of color #1 Marley hair.

26) Half-Up Shoulder Length Marley Twists

You will need 3 packs of color #1 Marley hair. You can cut a whole pack in half, so you get a double quantity and enough hair for this hairstyle. 

27) Purple Marley Twists

You will need 6-8 packs of color purple Marley hair.

28) Burgundy Shoulder Length Marley Twists

You will need 4-6 packs of red Marley hair. If you don’t want to use rubber bands on the ends, you can burn the ends. 

29) Accessorized Dual-tone Marley Twists

You will need about 3 packs of color 1 Marley hair and 2 packs of color 30 Marley hair.

30) Side swoop Marley Twists with Cornrows

You will need about one pack of Marley hair cut up in half to get this look. 

31) Loosely twisted Bob Marley Twists

You will need about two packs of Marley hair cut up in half to get this look. 

32) Marley Twists with Curly Ends on 4c Hair

Perm rods were used to achieve the curly ends.

You will need 5-6 packs of color #1 Marley hair.

33) Marley Twists on Short 4c Hair

The kinky texture of Marley twists makes it blend so naturally into 4c hair texture and it can be styled in various ways.

You will need 2-3 packs of afro twists hair or a similar hair texture. 

34) Side Cornrow With Marley Twists

Adding cornrows is a great way to reduce the amount of hair you’ll need, or to maximize your hair packs if you suddenly discover that you didn’t buy enough hair packs.

You will need 3-4 packs of Marley hair. 

35) Tailbone Length Marley Twists

You will need 4-5 packs of Marley hair. 

36) Accessorized Bohemian Marley Twists

You only need about 2-3 packs of Marley hair for this look. Accessorize it with wooden beads. 

37) Mini Marley Twists Bob

You will need 3-4 packs of color 30 Marley hair, cut up into about 10 inches.

38) Classic Shoulder Length Marley Twists With Curly Ends

You will need 3-4 packs of color #4 Marley hair and curl the ends with perm rods. 

39) Blended Highlight Twists

You will need 4-5 packs of color #1B-27 Marley hair.

40) Gorgeous Classic Twists

You will need 3 packs of Marley hair. 

Which is your favorite hairstyle and which one are you going to be trying first? Let me know in the comment section.